Yanhe Liu: Study Finds Delayed ICSI Does Not Reduce Cumulative Live Birth Rates in IVF
Yanhe Liu, National Scientific Director at City Fertility, shared apost on LinkedIn about a paper by Haowen Zou et al. published in Human Fertility:
“In IVF, many laboratory practices are shaped by tradition, experience, or logistical constraints. But how often do we stop and ask: What does the evidence actually tell us?
I’m pleased to share our latest publication, completed as part of Haowen Zou’s PhD thesis. In this study, Haowen did an outstanding job investigating a common question in the IVF laboratory – does delaying ICSI affect patient outcomes?
Rather than focusing on individual embryo transfers, we used the more patient-centred outcome of cumulative live birth per oocyte retrieval to evaluate whether the timing of ICSI following trigger injection influences treatment success. Using rigorous statistical analyses, we observed no evidence that delaying ICSI within a relatively broad time window adversely affected treatment outcomes.
For embryologists, these findings provide reassurance that modest flexibility in ICSI timing (whether due to laboratory workflow, case complexity, or operational demands) does not appear to compromise patient outcomes. More broadly, this study reinforces a principle that I believe is central to modern IVF – Embryology should be guided by evidence, not assumptions.
Full text (Open Access).”
Title: Does ICSI timing impact cumulative live birth and perinatal outcomes – a cohort study
Authors: Haowen Zou, Kelli Peirce, Vincent Chapple, Jay Natalwala, Rui Wang, Yanhe LiuFertility Nor

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